Recently I’ve realised actually how many beauty products I have and its actually ridiculous. Over the last few years I’ve built up a pretty big stash of skincare and make-up products but most of the time go back to using the same things, I also have a really bad habit of leaving half used bottles of shampoo and conditioner in the bathroom when I get new ones. There’s really no point in me wasting money on new products to try when I have a whole drawer of skincare products and another of makeup that haven’t even been opened so what I’ve decided to do this year is to actually use some of this hoard of products up and for every product I finish I’ll save £1 and then at the end of the year I can either spend it in the sales or treat myself to something on my wish list. I’ve also decided for now not to get anymore beauty subscription boxes, I think I’ve got one more Glossy Box to come and then that’s it. The reason for this is because I’ve been getting beauty boxes for so long there are a lot of repeat products and also I want to be able to pick what new things I want to try rather than getting stuck with a never ending stash of cream cleansers that I don’t even use which is the situation I have now. Another benefit of trying to use so many products up is that I get to produce more posts for you guys with recommendations. I’ve actually used a fair few products up recently, I’m not going to go into them all as I’ll be here all day and some of them are fairly normal things that I’ve not got much to say about. I’ll mention the ones that I think are most interesting but if you do see anything in the pictures I haven’t mentioned and want to know more about it, feel free to leave me a comment.

I’ve actually had a few makeup empties this month, with two of them being favourites from Urban Decay. The Naked Skin Foundation is lovely and I’ve actually already repurchased it, its such a good one for everyday wear as its so weightless and never feels or looks cakey. Its actually pretty buildable and I think gives a really natural finish to the skin which is what I like in an every day foundation, I’ve got slightly dry skin that is prone to hormonal breakouts but this along with the Naked Skin Concealer works really well for me. The shade I get in the foundation is 0.5 just for reference. Next up is another product from the Naked Skin range and this is the Colour Correcting Fluid, the shade I chose in this one is Pink as this particular colour is used to disguise dark circles on fair skin. I suffer with dark circles under my eyes and am quite self conscious of them, they’re definitely not something a concealer on its own can cover up. I don’t think this Colour Corrector covered the dark circles completely but it definitely made them look a little bit better, I also liked that similarly to the foundation it never looks cakey which in my opinion is one of the most important factors when using makeup under your eyes. The final makeup item I’ve used up this month is a mascara, my favourite mascara for a long time has been the Maybelline Lash Sensational but this one may have risen to the top alongside it. The one I’m talking about is the L’Oréal Volume Million Lashes Excess, it definitely gives volume and stays put all day. I can’t wait to repurchase this after I’ve used up the 20 plus unopened mascaras in my stash.

I’ve been a lover of micellar water for a few years now probably because its so easy to use and never aggravates my skin so I was interested in the Garnier Oil-Infused Micellar water when it came out but also quite sceptical as I haven’t really used any oils on my skin before. After hearing quite good reports of the product especially for dry skin I decided to give it ago and it fast became something I knew I would be repurchasing time and time again because of the oil in the product it leaves your skin feeling very hydrated and mine definitely doesn’t feel as dry anymore. It is also great for removing eye make up again due to the oil. In my opinion it feels a lot more luxurious that its price tag suggests. Another product I have finished but that I find equally as great for dry skin is the No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Night Cream, I think this is meant for anti-aging reasons but its something I have probably been using for about three years now and it works really well for me. The pot actually lasts me about four months too and I think I purchased this one on eBay for about £10 cheaper than if you were to buy it in boots. I think it would be great for sensitive skin too as its not heavily scented at all. Sticking with the dry skin theme I also used up the Anatomicals Hawaii Five-Glow Tropical Hydrating Face Mask which made my skin really soft and gave it that extra boost of moisture and the Sephora Rose Lip Mask which helped my very sore lips a lot but unfortunately the relief only lasted a couple of days. Finally for skincare this month I have finished my pot of Nip + Fab Glycolic Night Pads, this is a product I’ve seen talked about a lot on the internet with people claiming this product has completely improved their skin. As I said previously I suffer from hormonal break outs but along side this I also have what seem like permanent bumps under my skin mainly on my cheeks and I have read these pads have helped minimise these for some people but in my case they haven’t done that which was slightly disappointing as the product has been hyped up quite a lot.

The only hair empty that have that I think is worth mentioning this month is the Creightons Sunshine Blonde Shampoo, I also had the conditioner too but used this up much quicker. I got this shampoo from Tesco and it was only £1, its actually impressed me a lot for the price and certainty helped my dyed hair feel soft and moisturised. I’ve been enjoying baths a lot more this month as usually I shower to save time but between having annual leave and being off ill from work I’ve had a lot more time in the evenings. When I was off from work it was due to being in a minor car accident and suffering whiplash, the pain was honestly unbearable I never actually understood how painful it was until suffering myself. Anyway I was trying everything and anything to relieve the pain as pain killers just weren’t doing it, baths helped my back and to relax my muscles a lot and in these I used a couple of Kneipp Herbal Bath Oils. The ones I had were Back Comfort and Sweet Dreams, I thought both were very calming and relaxing and gave off a really strong but luxurious scent. They’re really lovely products and there are a lot in the range for various different things such as bad backs or colds. I’m definitely going to repurchase some of these. Whilst we’re on the subject of me being unwell, I’ve also used another product which has been helpful for the sinusitis I’ve been suffering from and that is the Molton Brown Eucalyptus body wash. It has a very similar smell to Olbas Oil so it has been helpful to use this in the shower as the steam has helped along with this as a decongestant. I don’t often use bubble baths these days due to the discovery of Lush however its actually a really expensive habit to use a bath bomb every time I have a bath and I have been absolutely loving the No7 Sumptuous Bath Milk the smell is very fresh and luxurious but not overpowering at all.

The last two empty products I have this month are perfumes both are ones I have had quite a while. Firstly I finished what seemed like a never ending bottle of Peace, Love and Juicy Couture which I have had for four years. It was a perfume that used to be one of my favourites and after finishing my first bottle I treated myself to this one but I think as my collection grew I found others that preferred and never really reached for this anymore. It was still a nice perfume though so I’ve been using it nearly every day for the past three months to try and finish it before it got to old and lost its scent. I thought it was quite a fresh scent but not something as sweet as I usually go for. The other perfume I finished this month was the Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs, I actually really like this especially for the summer time so probably will repurchase then. The scent lasts well on me for quite a few hours which I find is quite rare with most perfumes.

Am I the only one who takes years to finish a perfume?